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REPORT  OF  THE  SURVEY 

=======   OF    THE  ============== 

GRAFTON  CITY  SCHOOLS 


PUBLISHED  BY 
DEPARTMENT  OF  SCHOOLS 


M.   P.   SHAWKEY,  STATE   SUPERINTENDENT 

CHARLESTON,  WEST  VIRGINIA 


REPORT  OF  THE  SURVEY 


OF  THE 


GRAFTON  CITY  SCHOOLS 


AS  MADE  BY 

DR.  J.  X.  DEAHL, 

HEAD  OF  DEPARTMENT  OF  EDUCATION, 
WEST  VIRGINIA  UNIVERSITY. 

SUPT.  JOSEPH  ROSIER, 
FAIRMONT  CITY  SCHOOLS. 

SUPT.  OTIS  G.  WILSON, 

ELKINS    CITY  SCHOOLS. 


PUBLISHED  BY 
DEPARTMENT  OF  SCHOOLS 

M.  P.  SHAWKEY,  STATE  SUPERINTENDENT, 

CHARLESTON,  W.  VA. 


TRIBUNE   PRINTINO    CO.,    CHARLESTON,   W. 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  State  Department  of  Schools  does  not  have  so  frequent  oppor- 
tunity for  co-operating  with  the  city  schools  as  it  does  with  the  schools 
of  the  country.  For  this  reason  it  is  all  the  more  eager  to  take  advan- 
tage of  such  opportunities  when  they  arise.  In  passing  along  the  re- 
port of  the  committee  which  made  the  survey  of  school  conditions  in 
the  city  of  Grafton  a  few  months  since,  the  Department  feels  that  it 
is  rendering  a  service  of  real  value  to  the  people  of  this  state.  Boards 
of  education  in  the  towns  and  cities  especially  should  find  the  re- 
port an  interesting  study.  The  report  gives  us  an  excellent  discussion 
of  a  school  system,  in  the  concrete,,  and  I  feel  that  the  educational  world 
at  large  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  Board  of  Education  and  the 
people  of  Grafton  for  this  valuable  work. 

Very  respectfully, 


State  Superintendent. 


June  14,  1913. 

To  the  Honorable  Board  -of  Education, 
Grafton,  W.  Va., 

Gentlemen : 

In  accordance  with  the  agreement  entered  into  with  your  body  in 
April,  1913,  to  make  a  survey  of  the  schools  under  your  supervision,  we 
have  the  honor  to  submit  herewith  the  results  of  our  investigation 
covering  the  educational  needs  of  your  community  f  ro'm  an  industrial 
standpoint,  the  scientific  basis  of  a  system  of  public  education  such  as 
is  demanded  in  your  community,  the  professional  training  and  equip- 
ment of  the  teachers  employed,  the  course  of  study  in  use  in  the 
schools,  the  methods  of  teaching  and  the  plan  of  the  school  organiza- 
tion, methods  of  administration  as  related  to  the  assignment  of  teach- 
ers, possible  consolidations  of  departments  and  grades,  current  ex- 
penditures, the  purchase  of  supplies,  and  the  need  of  a  more  adequate 
high  school  equipment,  as  well  as  other  suggestions  dealing  in  detail 
with  the  general  management  of  the  schools. 

Industries  and  Occupations 

The  chief  industries  of  Grafton  for  men  are  railroading,  glass  man- 
ufacturing, metal  working,  wood  working,  clay  working  and  office 
working ;  for  women,  home  making,  office  and  clerk  work  and  sewing. 
Conferences  and  interviews  have  been  had  with  those  who  have  charge 
of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  at  Grafton  and  who  manage  and  di- 
rect its  operation,  with  the  superintendents  of  the  glass  and  tile  indus- 
tries, with  some  of  the  owners  and  managers  of  the  metal  and  wood  in- 
dustries, with  many  of  those  who  employ  office  and  clerk  help,  with  a 
number  of  women  who  sew  for  the  public.  In  every  instance  your  com- 
mittee was  most  cordially  received  and  willingly  assisted  in  its  work. 
In  addition  to  this  community  study  of  industries,  many  of  the  business 
men  and  professional  men  of  your  city  were  interviewed  with  reference 
to  the  educational  needs  of  your  city. 

The  purpose  of  these  conferences  and  interviews  was  to  find  the 
attitude  towards  education,  what  the  city  schools  are  now  doing  for 
the  industries  and  occupations  of  the  people  of  your  city,  what  addi- 


\MfK  tke{sJ;h(}(ilstUi4y  kbe'  reasonably  expected  to  give,  what  co- 
operation of  the  industries  and  occupations  with  the  public  schools  in 
bringing  about  any  change  that  may  seem  wise  and  expedient  to  the 
Board  of  Education  may  reasonably  be  expected  from  the  industries 
and  occupations  of  your  city. 

Everywhere  a  very  commendable  attitude  towards  general  educa- 
tion was  manifest.  Superintendents  and  those  who  direct  the  work 
of  young  men  and  women  expressed  preference  for  employing  boys  and 
girls  who  have  a  high  school  education.  If  your  committee  may  judge 
from  the  conferences  and  interviews  with  many  of  your  citizens  as 
well  as  with  employers,  the  desire  and  demand  for  industrial  educa- 
tion in  your  schools  is  strong  and  urgent.  There  is  also  a  willingness 
on  the  part  of  employers,  where  it  is  practicable,  to  cooperate  with  the 
schools  in  providing  for  shop  work  on  the  part  plan  system  of  school 
attendance  and  shop  work  for  which  the  boys  will  secure  school  credit. 

It  is  true  that  any  school  system  should  contribute  to  the  moral  and 
intellectual  welfare  of  the  community  that  supports  the  system.  It  is 
also  equally  true  that  any  school  system  should  in  a  very  direct  way 
reflect  and  contribute  to  the  major  industries  of  the  community  which 
supports  the  system  of  schools.  In  fact  the  -moral  and  intellectual 
welfare  of  any  people  is  contributed  to  in  the  largest  and  most  real 
sense  by  aiding  such  people  in  their  occupations.  The  major  part  of 
life  is  work,  either  with  the  head  or  hands  or  with  both  head  and 
hands.  The  way  to  enrich  life,  to  say  nothing  of  increased  efficiency, 
is  to  rationalize  the  occupation  of  the  individual.  Dull  and  deaden- 
ing routine  and  drudgery  are  raised  to  the  plane  of  hopeful  and  life 
producing  work  by  rationalizing  the  occupation.  In  this  way  educa- 
tion is  life  and  life  in  turn  reflects  education. 

The  major  industry  in  your  city  for  men  is  railroading  and  the  ma- 
jor occupation  for  women  is  home  making.  Your  schools  should  make 
a  reasonable  return  to  the  railroad  for  the  money  it  contributes  to  the 
support  of  your  schools.  In  doing  this  your  schools  will  at  the  same 
time  serve  in  a  direct  way  many  of  the  boys  in  your  city.  The  rail- 
road will,  in  the  judgment  of  your  committee,  co-operate  in  this  exten- 
sion of  your  schools.  The  officials  at  Grafton  have  expressed  to  your 
committee  a  disposition  to  do  so  and  a  desire  for  the  boys  entering  the 
railroad  service  to  have  educational  opportunities  to  aid  them  in  learn- 
ing to  become  more  efficient  in  its  service.  Your  schools  have  a  rare  op- 
portunity to  render  good  service  and  in  turn  be  helped  by  the  railroad. 

Home  making  is  the  chief  occupation  of  women,  yet  it  is  more  than 
passing  strange  that  our  schools  everywhere  offer  little  or  nothing  for 


the  home  maker.  This  strange  situation  obtains  quite  as  often  in 
colleges  as  in  the  grades  and  high  schools.  The  education  of  girls 
in  most  schools  is  a  waste  of  time  and  energy  and  money  if  it  does  not 
actually  impair  their  capacity  for  successful  home  making.  Our 
schools  can  contribute  not  only  to  making  happier  and  better  homes 
by  teaching  the  things  which  home  makers  need  to  know  but  the 
schools  can,  in  a  very  real  and  effective  way,  help  to  solve  the  problem 
of  the  high  cost  of  living — a  very  real  and  pressing  problem. 

Night  Glasses 

The  Columbia  Tile  Co.  employs  15  to  20  boys  and  the  Tygarts  Val- 
ley Glass  Co.  employs  35  to  40  boys  and  girls.  These  boys  and  girls 
will  not  be  able  to  do  part  time  in  regular  school  owing  to  the  nature  of 
their  work.  However,  many  of  these  girls  and  boys  are  now  taking 
correspondence  courses.  This  should  not  be  necessary.  The  city 
should  in  some"  way  provide  for  the  education  of  these  young  people. 
A  night  school  for  these  should  be  provided  if,  after  proper  investiga- 
tion, the  demand  seems  adequate.  If  this  is  not  practicable,  then  your 
schools  should  provide  for  some  kind  of  extension  work.  This  may 
be  done  in  an  economical  and  successful  way. 

Sewing 

There  is  an  opportunity  and  need  in  your  city  for  girls  to  learn  to 
sew,  for  the  public.  The  persons  interviewed  in  regard  to  the  oppor- 
tunity for  sewing  pointed  out  that  girls  who  were  able  to  do  satisfactory 
work  could  not  be  secured.  For  this  reason  the  women  who  em- 
ployed help  discontinued  their  shops  and  are  now  taking  what  work 
they  can  themselves  do. 

Sewing  and  dressmaking  is  a  more  desirable  occupation  for  girls 
who  have  capacity  for  such  work  and  who  have  to  make  their  way  in 
life  than  stenography  and  clerking,  besides  it  fits  for  home-making 
which  girls  look  forward  to. 

A  Go-operative  Plan 

It  has  been  suggested  elsewhere  in  this  report  that  your  city  has  an 
opportunity  to  bring  about  a  cooperative  plan  beneficial  both  to  your 
industries  and  to  your  schools.  The  railroad  with  its  shops  is  espe- 
cially well  suited  for  such  a  plan.  Other  industries  will  also  furnish 
opportunity  on  a  smaller  scale.  It  may  be  the  railroad  would  not 

7 


only  cooperate  with  its  shops  etc.,  but  give  financial  support  in  equip- 
ping your  manual  training  department. 

It  could  well  afford  to  do  so  as  a  business  proposition.  An  instance 
of  such  aid  to  schools  is  found  in  Altoona,  Pa.  The  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  in  1905  equipped  the  Altoona  high  school  manual  training 
department  at  a  total  cost  of  about  $30,000.  To  secure  such  assist- 
ance from  the  railroad  you  would  need  first  to  erect  an  adequate  high 
school  building  which  you  now  badly  need. 

The  cooperative  plan  is  at  present  organized  in  many  towns  and 
cities.  Some  of  these  are  Beverly,  Mass. ;  Fitchburg,  Mass. ;  Rochester, 
N,  Y. ;  Peoria,  111.,  and  many  larger  cities.  The  plan  is  to  have  the 
boys  attend  school  part  time  and  work  in  the  shops  part  time,  for 
which  school  credit  is  given.  Certain  hours  per  week,  or  half  day  time 
or  one  week  is  given  alternately  to  shop  and  school.  Some  such  co- 
operative plan  is  entirely  feasible  in  Grafton. 

In  your  present  school  system  a  manual  training  plant  could  be  in- 
stalled. The  cost  need  not  be  considerable.  Much  of  the  equipment 
could  be  made  in  Grafton.  The  plant  once  started,  the  boys  could 
make  much  of  the  equipment  while  being  taught  to  work  in  wood  and 
metal.  Some  estimates  of  cost  of  equipment  in  manual  training  and 
home  economics  have  been  secured. 

The  minimum  cost  for  furnishing  a  domestic  science  department 
"ir  16  to  24  girls  would  be  about  $332  to  $540.  This  would  not  in- 

ude  plumbing  and  some  storage  shelves,  the  cost  of  which  would  de- 

2nd  upon  the  building,  present  plumbing,  etc. 

An  estimated  cost  for  an  economical  outfit  for  wood-working  for  24 
pupils  would  be  $535  to  $1080. 

A  forge  shop  independent  of  the  railroad  shops  could  be  equipped 
for  $1378  for  general  tools  and  $1390  for  individual  tools,  for  20  pu- 
pils. A  blacksmith  shop  for  20  pupils  would  cost  probably  not  less 
than  $138. 

The  High  School 

The  high  school  was  inspected  and  studied  with  reference  to  the 
plant  and  equipment,  the  program  of  studies,  the  organization,  the 
teaching  and  the  needs  of  its  pupils.  The  plant  and  equipment  and 
the  organization  are  considered  in  another  part  of  this  report.  It 
should  be  said  here,  however,  that  your  high  school  is  not  adequately 
housed.  The  rooms  now  in  use  are  quite  insufficient.  Xext  year  with 
probably  an  increase  of  sixty  or  more  pupils  it  will  be  very  difficult  to 

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care  for  them  in  a  proper  manner.  The  high  school  is  very  much  in' 
need  of  an  assembly  room  sufficient  in  size  to  accommodate  the  in- 
creasing numbers  of  pupils  and  public  meetings  of  a  school  or  educa- 
tional character. 

The  lighting  in  most  of  the  high  school  rooms  is  very  poor  and 
the  ventilation  unsatisfactory.  The  blackboards  and  equipment  are 
such  as  to  render  teaching  and  learning  very  much  less  effective  than 
it  otherwise  would  be.  The  school  is  in  need  of  additional  maps,  mod- 
els, charts,  apparatus,  books,  etc. 

The  spirit  and  attitude  of  the  high  school  pupils  is  good.  The  pu- 
pils manifest  a  very  earnest  desire  to  learn  and  they  show  by  their 
class  work  reasonable  industry  in  their  studies.  A  considerable  num- 
ber of  boys  and  girls  in  your  school  are  pursuing  studies  for  which 
neither  nature  has  fitted  them  nor  the  demands  of  our  present  civili- 
zation require  of  them.  Many  of  the  failures  in  studies  are  due  nei- 
ther to  failure  of  application  on  the  part  of  pupils  nor  to  earnest  en- 
deavor on  the  part  of  instructors  to  teach  but  rather  to  lack  of  capac- 
ity for  some  studies  and  the  remoteness  of  other  studies  from  the 
life  interests  of  the  pupils. 

Your  high  school  teachers  will  compare  quite  favorably  with  those 
of  other  towns  and  cities  of  the  state.  Their  desire  to  help  their  pupils 
is  evident.  Their  academic  preparation  is  satisfactory;  the  profes- 
sional knowledge  of  some  of  them  is  adequate ;  in  some  cases  it  is  not 
sufficient.  High  school  teachers  should  have  professional  training  com- 
mensurate with  their  academic  training.  A  reasonable  knowledge  of 
youth,  their  instincts  and  capacities,  of  the  nature  and  aim  of  edu- 
cation, of  the  education  values  of  studies,  of  the  learning  process,  etc.. 
is  necessary  to  do  good  school  work. 

The  program  of  studies  in  your  school  has  been  improved  very  much 
in  recent  years.  It  needs  further  revision  in  the  direction  of  present 
needs  of  the  boys  and  girls  and  of  the  community.  It  could  with  a 
few  changes  be  made  a  very  effective  program.  The  present  organiza- 
tion into  four  curricula  should  be  made  less  restrictive.  If  the  boys 
and  girls  are  to  receive  the  benefits  of  a  high  school  education,  |here 
should  be  more  frequent  and  closer  supervision  in  the  selection  of 
studies.  It  should  be  easier  for  a  pupil  to  readjust  his  studies  when 
they  are  found  not  to  be  educative  to  him,  that  is,  when  he  is  not  get- 
ting the  proper  amount  of  knowledge  and  the  kind  he  will  use  in  his 
life.  A  pupil  cannot  get  the  education  values  of  studies  unless  he 
can  do  the  subject  well  and  with  satisfaction  to  himself.  High  school 
teachers  should  be  able  to  judge  with  accuracy  whether  pu- 


pils  are  doing  as  well  in  their  studies  as  reasonable  application 
would  enable  them  to  do  their  studies.  To  form  such  a  correct  judg- 
ment, the  pupils  must  do  a  part  of  their  lesson  preparation  under  the 
immediate  supervision  of  the  teacher ;  class  work  alone  will  not  reveal 
whether  the  pupil  is  making  proper  application.  When  it  is  found 
that  a  pupil  with  reasonable  time  and  energy  given  a  subject  is  not  get- 
ting the  educative  value  of  the  study,  the  program  should  be  flexible 
enough  to  permit  the  pupil  to  change  his  study.  . 

The  following  recommendations  are  made  with  reference  to  studies  in 
your  High  School: 

1.  Of  the  16  units  necessary  for  graduation,  English  should  be  required. 
The  only  other  requirement  should  be  a  resaonable  grouping  of  studies 
as  follows:   two  majors  of  not  fewer  than  three  units  each  and  three 
minors  of  not  fewer  than  two  units  each.     It  may  be  not  less  than  a 
unit  of  home  economics  should  be  required  of  all  girls.    This  requirement 
would  depend  upon  the  facilities  of  the  school  to  give  the  subject.    If  the 
equipment  is  adequate,  the  requirement  should  be  made. 

2.  In  English  the  amount  of  technical  grammar  and  language  study 
should  be  reduced.     The  history  of  literature  should  be  omitted,  except 
what  is  necessary  to  a  reasonable  understanding  of  the  literary  selections 
studied  in  school  by  the  pupils. 

3.  In  mathematics,  a  more  modern  text  should  be  used  in  algebra  and 
a   briefer   text   in   geometry.     Plane  trigonometry   should  doubtless   be 
offered  in  your  high  school  for  those  who  desire  it.    In  the  eighth  grade 
the  elements  of  algebra  should  be  taught  in  connection  with  the  arith- 
metic.   This  may  be  done  in  such  a  way  as  to  improve  the  arithmetic  and 
serve  as  a  guide  and  basis  for  further  study  of  mathematics  in  the  High 
School.    The  pupils  should  not  be  required  to  have  a  text  in  algebra  in 
the  grades. 

4.  The   commercial    studies    should   be   bookkeeping,    shorthand   and 
typewriting.    A  minimum  speed  test  should  be  fixed  in  stenography  for 
those  who  take  it.    Sophomore  standing  should  be  required  for  admission 
to  the  commercial  studies. 

The  writing,  spelling  and  English  necessary  for  commercial  studies 
should  be  taught  in  connection  with  other  subjects  and  in  other  classes. 
A  pupil  deficient  in  these  subjects  should  not  be  permitted  to  enter 
commercial  studies.  You  are  now  paying  for  the  teaching  of  writing  in 
the  grades.  Spelling  is  more  economically  taught  in  connection  with 
other  studies  in  the  High  School.  This  is  also  true  of  language  forms. 
There  is  abundant  opportunity  for  writing,  spelling  and  grammar  forms 
in  high  school  studies.  Correct  form  should  be  insisted  on  in  all  written 
work  done  by  pupils. 

5.  The    High    School    should   offer    mechanical    drawing,    for    which 
preparation  should  be  made  in  the  grades  with  free-hand  drawing. 

6.  Home  economics  for  girls  and  manual  training  for  boys  should  be 
provided  for  in  the  High  School.    The  former  subject  should  consist  of 

10 


domestic  science  and  sewing.  It  may  be  that  you  could  with  your  present 
plant  offer  the  sewing  in  the  eighth  grade  to  better  advantage  than  in  the 
High  School. 

The  manual  training  should  consist  of  wood  and  metal  work.  The  metal 
work  should  include  at  least  forging,  filing  and  chipping. 

7.  Your  city  has  an  opportunity  to  do  co-operative  work  of  shop  and 
school. 

The  co-operative  plan  will  enable  many  of  your  boys  who  now  receive 
little  or  no  advantage  of  your  High  School  to  secure  a  secondary  education. 

The  plan  will  be  economical  for  the  city  and  contribute  directly  to  your 
major  industries.  The  plan  will  also  contribute  to  your  High  School  in 
bringing  it  closer  to  the  people  and  thereby  secure  for  it  larger  confidence 
and  support  from  your  people. 

8.  There  are  both  educational  advantages  and  economy  in  furnishing 
free  text  books.     It  seems  the   Board  could  well   afford  to  begin  the 
introduction  of  free  text  books  by  securing  a  few  of  the  books  most 
generally  used.    At  any  rate,  the  library  books  should  be  very  consider- 
ably increased  in  number. 

Moral  Education 

We  are  living  in  an  age  of  transition — industrial,  political,  social, 
moral  change.  The  school  is  the  institution  to  which  the  public  may 
rightfully  look  for  guidance  in  such  a  time  when  either  development 
or  decay  may  result.  We  should  recognize  that  the  old  social  and 
moral  standards  will  not  return.  The  old  social  order  is  quite  as  im- 
possible and  undesirable  today  as  the  old  industrial  and  political 
standards.  The  school  must  not  only  readjust  itself  but  it  must  con- 
tribute to  the  development  of  moral  and  social  efficiency  of  a  rationally 
conscientious  kind.  Boys  and  girls  must  be  taught  to  see  the  need  and 
worth  of  correct  moral  conduct  and  character.  Success  and  happiness 
depend  upon  right  moral  standards  in  both  the  occupation  and  the 
avocation  of  a  people. 

The  school  in  its  organization  and  in  its  studies  has  an  opportunity 
to  teach  correct  moral  standards  and  right  moral  practice.  In  doing 
this  the  emphasis  must  be  in  teaching  moral  ideas,  not  ideas  about 
morality.  Effective  teaching  will  be  indirect.  The  concrete  situ- 
ations will  be  clearly  presented  and  pupils  left  to  draw  their  own  con- 
clusions. Error  on  the  part  of  pupils  will  be  corrected  not  by  teach- 
ing the  right  conclusion  but  by  more  suitable  situations  more  clearly 
presented.  In  moral  education  the  pupil  must  do  his  own  thinking 
and  accept  responsibility  if  character  is  to  be  developed.  The  govern- 
ment of  the  school,  lesson  preparation,  pupil  activities,  opening  exer- 
•cises,  history,  literature,  the  daily  and  weekly  press,  biography,  stories, 

11 


etc.,  furnish  abundant  occasion  and  opportunity  for  moral  teaching 
of  a  very  effective  kind. 

To  assist  the  schools  in  the  moral  development  of  its  pupils  your 
committee  recommends  that  the  Board  of  Education  require  that  in 
each  school  the  opening,  exercises  be  directed  to  moral  teaching,  that 
this  teaching  be  as  well  planned  and  supervised  as  the  remaining  teach- 
ing of  the  day,  and  that  a  reading  suitable  to  the  grade  of  pupils  and 
well  rendered  be  provided  by  the  teacher.  It  is  further  recommended 
that  a  portion  of  these  readings  be  short  selections,  about  ten  to  twen- 
ty lines,  from  the  Bible,  without  comment. 

The  Commercial  Department 

Your  committee  made  as  careful  study  of  the  demands  for  commer- 
cial education  in  the  city  and  of  the  character  of  the  work  your  com- 
mercial department  is  now  doing  as  the  time  for  the  survey  would  per- 
mit. The  number  of  persons  now  employed  in  the  city  according  to 
the  best  estimates  available  are — bookkeeping  54,  stenography,  27, 
general  20,  total  101.  This  estimate  is  liberal  but  it  should  be  noted 
that  with  a  sufficient  number  of  well  prepared  persons  available,  this 
number  would  doubtless  increase. 

It  does  not  seem  wise,  at  this  time,  to  discontinue  this  department. 
It  is  very  desirable  to  afford  boys  and  girls  a  better  opportunity  for  a 
commercial  education  than  the  so-called  business  colleges  with  their 
short  and  misleading  courses  afford.  The  examination  of  the  work 
seems  to  indicate  that  your  department  can  economically  prepare  boys 
and  girls  for  successful  bookkeeping  and  stenography. 

Organization  of  Elementary  School 

It  is  necessary  in  public  school  administration  that  children  be 
taught  in  groups.  This  is  an  economic  necessity,  and  the  size  of  the 
group  under  each  teacher  will  depend  upon  local  conditions  and  upon 
the  resources  available  for  school  purposes  in  the  community.  In  com- 
munities where  school  revenues  are  available  groups  may  be  smaller 
than  in  poorer  communities. 

Within  the  group  of  pupils  under  any  one  teacher  it  has  been  the 
aim  of  modern  educational  practice  to  secure  homogeneity  either  in 
the  entire  class  or  within  two  or  more  divisions  of  it.  These  groups 
constitute  the  grades  and  the  method  of  adjustment  of  pupils  to  these 
grades  is  called  the  graded  system.  The  purpose  here  is  to  have  within 

12 


the  grade  the  minimum  of  individual  differences  among  pupils  for  the 
reason  that  the  largest  number  may  be  economically  taught. 

The  graded  system  pre-supposes  a  carefully  planned  course  of  study 
increasing  in  difficulty  from  grade  to  grade,  and  the  pupils  of  equal 
ability  are  grouped  in  their  proper  places  in  such  a  course  of  study. 

The  graded  system  of  schools  provides  for  the  readjustment  of 
the  individual  pupils  at  stated  periods.  At  the  end  of  the  half  year 
or  year  there  is  a  formal  re-classification  of  pupils  called  promotion. 
Pupils  who  have  given  satisfactory  evidence  of  having  completed  the 
work  of  the  grade  to  which  they  have  been  assigned,  and  give  evidence 
that  they  can  do  the  work  of  the  succeeding  grade,  are  moved  into  the 
next  grade,  while  those  who  have  failed  to  keep  pace  are  dropped  back 
to  repeat  the  work  of  the  grade. 

That  form  of  readjustment  which  requires  pupils  who  do  not  keep 
pace  to  remain  in  a  given  grade  for  another  year  is  wasteful.  The 
best  test  of  the  efficiency  of  a  school  system"  is  found  in  the  provision 
made  for  the  proper  classification  of  children  and  for  their  progress 
through  the  schools.  Such  a  provision  removes  grade  distinctions, 
keeps  at  a  minimum  the  number  of  "repeaters,"  and  secures  the  most 
economic  expenditure  of  school  revenues. 

The  records  of  school  attendance  in  Grafton  for  the  present  year 
show  that  many  pupils  dropped  out  of  school  during  the  sixth,  seventh, 
and  eighth  months.  On  entering  school  next  year  these  pupils  must 
enter  the  grade  they  entered  a  year  ago  and  repeat  the  first  six,  seven 
or  eight  months'  work  which  they  did  this  year.  More  flexible  grading 
would  provide  against  so  much  loss  of  time  on  the  part  of  the  pupil, 
and  less  expenditure  of  money  for  the  instruction  of  these  "repeaters." 
If  each  grade  were  divided  in  B  and  A  sections  each  requiring  a  half 
year's  instead  of  a  year's  work,  the  grading  would  be  more  liberal  and 
grade  distinctions  would  be  lessened.  It  is  entirely  expedient  in  a  sys- 
tem of  schools  the  size  of  Grafton  to  have  the  half  yearly  instead  of  the 
yearly  promotions. 

An  attempt  has  been  made  to  ascertain  to  what  extent,  if  at  all,  the 
pupils  in  Grafton  have  suffered  because  of  the  present  method  of  clas- 
sification and  promotion.  The  eighth  grades  in  the  different  build- 
ings were  visited  and  certain  data  secured  which  may  be  stated  as  fol- 
lows: 

The  ninety-nine  pupils  in  the  eighth  grade  who  were  present  on  the 
day  the  data  were  gathered,  will  average  14  years  and  7  months  old  at 
the  end  of  this  present  school  year.  This  means  that  on  the  average 

13 


these  pupils  on  entering  high  school  in  September  next  will  be  nearly 
15  years  old. 

Twenty-one  of  the  ninety-nine  pupils,  all  of  whom  were  born  in 
Graf  ton,  will  average  15  years  and  8  months  old  at  the  end  of  this  pres- 
ent school  year.  This  means  that  21  of  these  pupils  on  entering  the 
high  school  in  September  will  be  nearly  16  years  old. 

The  average  of  the  ninety-nine  pupils  shows  that  these  pupils  will 
be  entering  high  school  almost  a  year  late. 

The  average  of  the  twenty-one  pupils  shows  that  they  will  be  entering 
the  high  school  almost  two  years  late. 

This  retardation,  which  is  not  alarming,  is  not  proof  against  the 
present  system  of  classification  and  promotion,  but  it  is  evidence. 
Furthermore,  in  order  that  the  evidence  be  complete,  it  would  be  nec- 
essary to  have  similar  data  not  only  from  pupils  who  belong  in  the 
eighth  grade  not  attending  school,  but  also  from  at  least  the  fifth, 
sixth  and  seventh  grades. 

The  test  of  the  efficiency  of  a  school  system,  so  far  as  the  study  of 
progress  through  the  system  is  concerned,  is  incomplete  unless  the 
ratio  of  the  children  in  school  to  the  school  population  is  considered. 
A  school  system  might  have  no  element  of  retardation,  no  "repeat- 
ers" at  all,  and  yet  not  have  half  the  school  population  enrolled. 
Hence  a  grossly  inefficient  system  might  appear  to  be  highly  efficient. 
The  total  number  of  pupils  enrolled  in  the  public  elementary  and  high 
schools  of  Grafton  at  the  time  this  survey  was  made,  not  counting  the 
42  colored  pupils,  was  1263.  The  ratio  of  this  enrollment  to  the 
school  census,  which  is  1966,  according  to  the  figures  furnished  the  com- 
mission, is  unusually  low. 

Present  Time  Allotment 

Geography  as  a  formal  study  is  begun  in  the  fourth  grade  and  carried 
through  the  eighth.  This  is  more  time  than  should  be  devoted  to  the 
text-book  study  of  geography,  and  is  out  of  harmony  with  modern  ed- 
ucational practice.  History  as  a  formal  study  is  begun  in  the  fifth 
grade  and  carried  through  the  eighth.  This  amount  is  somewhat  in 
excess  of  present  day  practice.  Hygiene,  Sanitation,  and  Physiology  is 
taught  in  grades  fourth  to  eighth  inclusive.  Three  texts,  the  Primer 
of  Hygiene,  the  Primer  of  Sanitation,  and  Human  Physiology  are 
used.  In  addition  to  these  texts  the  Gulick  books  are  used  as  supple- 
mentary. 

Important  as  the  study  of  Hygiene,  Sanitation  and  Physiology  is, 

14 


it  is  suggested  that  this  study  with  a  text  be  confined  to  hygiene  and 
sanitation  in  one  grade  instead  of  four,  that  one  book  instead  of  three 
be  used. 

Arithmetic  is  begun  as  a  formal  study  in  the  fourth  grade  and  con- 
tinued through  the  eighth  grade.  A  careful  investigation  as  to  the 
amount  of  time  spent  on  arithmetic  shows  that  the  time  allotted  to  it 
is  considerably  in  excess  of  modern  practice. 

We  find,  for  example,  in  the  sixth  and  seventh  grades  in  the  West 
Side  and  Central  Schools  that  a  greater  time-allotment  is  given  arith- 
metic than  is  given  by  the  leading  cities  of  the  United  States,  as  is 
shown  below.  The  figures  indicate  the  number  of  minutes  per  week 
devoted  to  arithmetic: 

Cities.  Grade. 

6th.  7th. 

New  York  200  200 

Chicago 150  150 

Philadelphia    225  225 

St.  Louis   150  150 

Boston 230  210 

Cleveland    250  300 

Baltimore   250  275 

Pittsburgh    240  300 

Detroit    250  275 

San  Francisco   250  250 

Milwaukee   200  200 

Cincinnati   300  300 

Grafton   300  375 

In  the  sixth  and  seventh  grades  the  following  is  suggested  as  reasonable 
time-allotment  for  the  different  groups  of  subjects: 

I.     Language  (including  reading,  writing,  spelling,  composition,  Eng- 
lish grammar  and  literature),  one-fourth. 

II.    Mathematics  (including  arithmetic,  oral  and  mental),  one-eighth. 

III.  Elementary  science  (including  nature  study,  physiology,  hygiene 

and  geography),  three-sixteenths. 

IV.  History  (including  civil  government,  biography  and  history  proper), 
one-eighth. 

V.  Miscellaneous  exercises  (including  music,  drawing,  industrial 
training,  physical  exercises  and  recesses  for  games),  five-sixteenths. 

By  simplifying  and  reorganizing  the  course  of  study  and  reducing 
the  time  allotted  to  Arithmetic,  Physiology  and  Hygiene,  and  Geog- 

15 


raphy  and  History  in  accordance  with  modern  educational  practice, 
the  seventh  and  eighth  grade  pupils  could  devote  one  half  day  each 
week  to  industrial  work, — the  girls  to  cooking  and  sewing,  and  the  boys 
to  manual  training, — and  this  would  enable  the  public  schools  to  offer 
richest  opportunities  to  the  pupils  and  the  best  service  to  the  com- 
munity. The  improvement  of  the  course  of  study  invariably  enlarges 
school  attendance. 


The  Cost  of  Elementary  Text-Books 

The  Board  of  Education  is  to  be  commended  for  making  it  possible 
for  pupils  to  purchase  text-books  at  cost.  But  even  with  this  provis- 
ion it  is  the  opinion  of  the  committee  that  the  cost  of  the  books  in  the 
aggregate  in  the  different  grades  is  greater  than  it  should  be.  This 
is  due,  not  to  the  cost  of  the  separate  texts,  for  that  is  at  a  minimum, 
but  to  the  number  of  texts  required  to  be  bought.  This  is  perhaps 
not  true  in  each  of  the  grades,  but  taking  the  elementary  grades  as  a 
whole  it  is  true.  The  actual  cost  of  the  texts  in  each  of  the  grades  is 
as  follows  and  is  given  in  comparison  with  Elkins  where  the  Board  does 
not  furnish  books  at  cost: 

Grade                                   1st  2nd    3rd  4th  5th  6th  7th  8th  Total 

Grafton     91  .94     1.23  2.58  2.83  3.98  4.06  4.81  21.34 

Elkins     55  .76     1.53  1.48  2.49  3.42  3.49  3.49  17.21 

Difference 36  .18  —.30  1.10  .34  .56  .57  1.32  4.13 

By  reducing  the  number  of  texts  as  suggested  above  the  cost  of  books 
to  pupils  would  be  materially  lessened.  It  should  be  stated  that  com- 
parison in  the  cost  of  texts  is  made  with  Elkins  not  necessarily  be- 
cause the  cost  of  the  texts  in  the  latter  city  is  representative  of  the  cost 
elsewhere,  but  because  Elkins  provides  for  semi-annual  promotion 
and  classification  of  pupils  which,  it  is  often  argued,  increases  the  cost 
of  texts. 

Size  of  Glasses 

The  number  of  pupils  that  teachers  have  under  their  care  is  not  ex- 
cessive. In  fact  the  number  of  pupils  allotted  to  teachers  in  the  Graf- 
ton  school  is  in  most  cases  unusually  low,  but  where  revenues  make  it 
possible  to  have  a  minimum  of  pupils  under  teachers  such  an  arrange- 

16 


ment  provides  for  best  teaching  conditions.  The  average  number  of 
pupils  belonging  to  teachers  is  as  follows : 

School                                               Enrollment  Teachers  Average 

East  End  153  6  25.5 

South  Side   145  6  24 

First  Ward   186  6  31 

Central  School   . . .% 273  8  34 

West  Side   .                                                  286  10  29 


TOTAL 1,043  36  29 

It  is  evident  from  the  above  figures  that  the  average  number  of  pu- 
pils belonging  to  each  teacher  is  low,  hence  it  is  reasonable  to  expect 
so  far  as  numbers  are  concerned  that  conditions  for  good  teaching  are 
provided. 

i 

Elementary  Teachers 

Of  the  36  teachers  employed  to  teach  white  pupils, 

6  teachers  have  taught  12  years  or  more. 

13  7  and  not  more  than  11  years. 

2         «  „  «          5      „       „         „          „        6       „ 

7  3      «       „         „          „        4       „ 

6         "  "  "          2  years. 

2         "  1  year. 

Nineteen  of  the  thirty-six  teachers  are  graduates  of  normal  schools, 
seminaries  or  colleges;  thirteen  teachers  state  that  they  are  merely 
graduates  of  the  Graf  ton  High  School;  four  teachers  do  not  state 
their  academic  or  professional  preparation.  Of  the  thirty-six  teach- 
ers eight  teachers,  two  men  and  six  women,  are  married.  One  teacher 
holds  a  second  grade  certificate. 

In  order  that  the  city  might  receive  the  best  service  for  the  money 
xpended  for  its  schools,  and  that  the  school  system  keep  pace  with 
lie  school  system  of  other  similar  sized  cities,  it  is  suggested  that  there 
^e  a  higher  standard  for  eligibility  to  teach  in  the  Grafton  schools. 

The  following  may  be  taken  as  a  minimum  standard  so  far  as  aca- 
demic and  professional  qualifications  are  concerned : 

1.  License:  The  holding  of  a  first-grade  teachers'  certificate,  good 
throughout  the  state  for  the  time  for  which  the  teacher  is  employed. 
City  certificates  should  be  granted  when  teachers  have  no  opportunity 
to  get  a  state  license. 


1 


2.  (a)  The  academic  preparation:  Graduation  from  a  first-class  high 
school  or  its  equivalent. 

(b)  Professional  preparation:  Two  years  professional  and 
academic  training  in  the  normal  schools  of  the  state,  in  the  State 
University,  or  in  denominational  schools  whose  normal  departments  are 
recognized  by  the  State  Board  of  Education,  or  in  reputable  professional 
schools  elsewhere. 

Superior  experience  which  has  been  gained  under  expert  supervision 
in  public  schools  may  be  taken  as  satisfying  for  the*  professional  work. 

As  a  means  for  providing  for  the  growth  of  teachers  in  service  and 
furnishing  a  stimulus  for  the  reading  and  study  of  professional  litera- 
ture, systematic  reading  circle  work  under  the  leadership  of  the  super- 
intendent of  schools  should  be  provided.  Such  a  provision  would  en- 
able teaching  efficiency  more  nearly  to  keep  pace  with  length  of  service. 

The  matter  of  the  selection  of  teachers  should  be  in  the  hands  of  an 
educational  expert  or  experts.  Most  boards  of  education  have  real- 
ized that  they  cannot  perform  this  duty  effectively  and  in  consequence 
the  matter  has  been  delegated  to  the  superintendent  of  schools  directly 
or  indirectly. 

The  schools  are  poorly  supplied  with  equipment  as  is  shown  in  an- 
other part  of  this  report.  It  has  come  to  be  regarded  as  a  necessity 
that  schools  be  supplied  with  supplementary  readers  particularly  in 
the  first  four  grades.  It  is  very  much  better  for  the  child  to  read  three 
or  four  readers  of  the  same  grade  than  to  read  one  reader  three  or  four 
times.  New  material  keeps  up  interest  in  reading  and  where  interest 
is  the  learning  is  at  the  maximum.  By  all  means  the  grades  mention- 
ed should  have  three  or  four  sets  of  supplementary  readers,  there  being 
about  fifteen  or  twenty  books  to  the  set.  Above  the  fourth  grade  the 
schools  should  be  supplied  with  supplementary  books  on  geography, 
history  and  the  like.  Such  a  provision  would  materially  increase  con- 
ditions for  good  teaching  and  economic  learning. 


Summary  ol  Suggestions 

L    That  provision  be  made  for  half-yearly  instead  of  yearly  classifica- 
tion of  pupils. 

2.  That  the  course  of  study  be  reorganized  so  as  to  provide  for  an 
equitable  time-allotment  for  each  subject,  and  for  enrichment,     (a)  Less 
time   for   geography,   history,   arithmetic    and   physiology   and   hygiene, 
(b)  The  introduction  of  industrial  work  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades. 

3.  That  a  reduction  be  made  in  the  number  of  text  boks  used  by 
pupils  in  certain  of  the  grades. 

4.  That  there  be   a  careful  consideration  of  the  size   of  classes  to 

18 


ascertain  whether  the  school  revenues   warrant   so   few  pupils  on  the 
average  per  teacher. 

5.  That  the  standard  of  eligibility  for  teachers  in  the  public  schools 
be  raised. 

6.  That  the  schools  be  provided  with  better  equipment,  particularly 
with  supplementary  readers,  maps  and  globes. 

Possibilities  of  Consolidation 

In  our  judgment  the  efficiency  of  these  schools  requires  the  employ- 
ment of  regular  school  principals  at  the  Central  Building,  the  West 
Side,  and  the  First  Ward.  The  number  of  teachers  assigned  to  and 
employed  in  the  South  Side  and  East  End  schools  are  more  than  are 
generally  employed  in  other  cities  for  schools  of  similar  enrollment. 
In  Bluefield  we  find  four  teachers  employed  in  a  school  with  an  enroll- 
ment of  173,  and  the  same  number  in  another  with  an  enrollment  of 
161;  in  Charleston  five  teachers  are  assigned  to  one  school  with  an  en- 
rollment of  197;  in  Fairmont  four  teachers  to  a  school  with  an  en- 
rollment of  151;  in  Morgan  town  6  teachers  are  employed  in  a  school 
with  an  enrollment  of  315;  in  Parkersburg  six  teachers  in  a  school  of 
305  enrollment,  and  four  in  one  of  158  enrollment;  in  Wellsburg  six 
teachers  are  employed  in  a  school  with  237  enrollment,  and  five  in  one 
with  157  enrollment. 

In  the  South  Side  school  we  found  six  teachers  employed  for  a  school 
with  an  enrollment  of  145,  and  in  the  East  End  six  teachers  in  a  school 
with  an  enrollment  of  153.  It  is  our  opinion  that  with  a  closer  grad- 
ing and  organization  of  the  pupils  in  these  two  schools,  four 
teachers  in  the  East  End,  and  five  in  the  South  Side  would  be 
sufficient  to  take  care  of  the  pupils  now  enrolled  in  these  schools  or 
those  likely  to  be  enrolled  next  year,  as  indicated  by  this  year's  enumer- 
ation. We  believe  this  can  be  done  without  detriment  to  the  children 
in  these  schools,  and  without  placing  any  unusual  burdens  upon  the 
teachers.  The  money  saved  at  this  point  would  secure  a  fairly  good 
instructor  in  each  of  the  subjects  of  manual  training,  and  domestic 
science,  for  the  High  School  and  the  upper  grades.  This  would  give 
the  average  29  pupils  to  each  teacher  employed  in  the  grades  below 
the  High  School.  Estimated  upon  the  basis  of  the  reports  made  to 
the  State  Superintendent  in  the  annual  directory  of  the  schools  of  dif- 
ferent cities  in  the  State  for  the  present  year  the  following  average  en- 
rollment per  teacher  in  the  grades  below  the  High  School  is  shown : 

Charleston   37 

Clarksburg    35 

19 


Fairmont   38 

Martinsburg 36 

Mannington   38 

Morgantown   44 

Moundsville   43 

Parkersburg   38 

Wellsburg    36 

Weston    36 

The  efficiency  of  this  school  system  can  be  improved  by  gradually 
reorganizing  the  grades  below  the  High  School  so  that  the  average  en- 
rollment for  each  teacher  will  be  between  35  and  40  pupils,  and  apply- 
ing the  money  thus  saved  to  the  employment  of  a  drawing  supervisor, 
and  instructor  in  manual  training  and  domestic  science.  Your  com- 
mittee recognizes  the  fact  that  there  may  be  local  geographical  and 
neighborhood  conditions  that  would  interfere  with  such  readjust- 
ments. Such  reorganization  should  be  brought  about  with  the  ap- 
proval of  the  majority  of  patrons  after  clear  explanations  have  been 
given  of  the  plans  for  the  general  betterment  of  the  schools. 

The  comparative  cost  of  the  various  elementary  schools  based  upon 
the  number  of  pupils  enrolled  in  each  school  and  the  total  amount 
paid  the  past  year  for  teachers  may  be  observed  from  the  following  fig- 
ures: 

Cost  per  capita  of  teaching  for  pupils  enrolled: 

Central  Building  $15.66 

First  Ward    16.68 

West  Side  18.25 

East  End  20.30 

South  Side   20.48 

To  show  the  comparative  annual  cost  oil  elementary  instruction  in 
various  localities  the  following  figures  based  upon  the  cost  of  teaching 
in  different  representative  schools  are  cited : 

Carlisle  School,  Clarksburg $15.11 

Fifth  Ward  School,  Fairmont 15.95 

Third  Ward  School,  Elkins   13.26 

Burke  Street  School,  Martinsburg 13.24 

Second  Ward  School,  Morgantown 12.53 

Third  Ward  School,  Moundsville  11.51 

Nash  School,  Parkersburg  16.14 

Main  Street  School,  Sistersville  15.27 

It  should  be  said  that  the  per  capita  cost  of  elementary  teaching  can 

20 


easily  be  reduced  to  the  point  where  it  will  result  in  overcrowding  and 
inefficiency.  A  system  of  elementary  schools  in  which  the  average  en- 
rollment per  teacher  is  thirty-five  pupils  would  be  considered  ideal  for 
efficiency,  and  in  many  places  an  average  of  forty  pupils  to  the  teacher 
would  be  regarded  as  an  efficient  organization.  We  find  at  the  time 
of  this  survey  that  in  the  Grafton  schools  there  is  an  enrollment  of  1085 
in  the  elementary  schools  with  37  teachers  and  principals  last  year, 
while  that  of  the  South  Side  has  increased  over  the  preceding  year. 
This  must  have  an  influence  on  the  enrollment  in  these  schools  next 
year,  and  must  therefore  be  taken  into  consideration  in  any  adjust- 
ment that  may  be  made  in  the  assignment  of  teachers. 

We  have  gone  over  the  enrollment  by  rooms  and  grades  as  furnished 
to  us  by  your  Superintendent,  and  we  suggest  tentative  plans  for  still 
further  consolidations:  The  tendency  in  the  upper  grades  in  many 
progressive  schools  now  is  to  provide  for  what  is  known  as  department- 
al work.  Two  or  three  of  the  upper  grades  are  organized  on  a  basis 
of  subjects,  and  teachers  are  assigned  to  the  different  subjects  as  you 
have  it  partially  arranged  in  your  Central  and  West  Side  schools.  It 
would  seem  feasible  and  advisable  to  bring  the  upper  grade  pupils  in 
the  South  Side  schools  to  the  West  Side  building,  and  place  them  in 
the  departmental  classes  there,  and  the  upper  grade  pupils  in  the  East 
End  school  could  be  placed  in  the  departmental  classes  at  the  Central 
Building.  It  might  be  possible  in  this  arrangement  to  reduce  the 
teaching  force,  but  if  that  could  not  be  done,  it  ought  to  result  in  bet- 
ter work  for  the  grammar  grade  pupils  now  enrolled  in  the  small  upper 
classes  in  the  South  Side  and  the  East  End.  If  this  plan  should  be 
adopted  there  would  be  no  need  to  employ  regular  principals  at  these 
two  buildings.  The  woman  teaching  the  upper  grade  could  be  allow- 
ed ten  or  fifteen  dollars  extra  per  month  to  exercise  some  general  over- 
sight of  the  building,  while  the  supervision  of  the  teaching  and  the 
schools  in  general  could  be  attended  to  by  the  Superintendent.  The 
present  plan  of  employing  principals  at  the  First  Ward,  the  Central 
and  West  Side  schools  should  be  continued,  and  if  possible  the  prin- 
cipals at  these  schools  should  be  given  part  time  for  supervision. 

Salary  Schedule 

In  establishing  a  salary  schedule  in  a  system  of  schools  two  things 
must  be  taken  into  consideration — first,  the  number  of  years  experience 
in  teaching  or  the  length  of  service,  second,  professional  training  and 
growth,  including  academic  and  pedagogical  training  and  success  in 

21 


class  room  work.  We  find  here  an  elementary  school  system  of  forty- 
one  teachers  in  which  grade  teachers  with  a  few  exceptions  are  paid 
fifty  dollars  per  month,  and  the  principals  with  one  exception  are  paid 
ninety  dollars  per  month.  In  most  cities  the  salaries  of  principals 
are  graduated  in  relation  to  the  number  of  teachers  employed  under 
them,  or  the  number  of  children  over  which  they  have  supervision. 
Unless  there  are  local  reasons  for  varying  from  this  principle,  we  sug- 
gest that  the  schedule  of  salaries  for  principals  be  arranged  with  ref- 
erence to  the  number  of  children  enrolled  in  the  school.  In  small 
school  systems  such  as  this  the  marking  or  rating  of  teachers  for  the 
purpose  of  fixing  salaries  may  result  in  friction  and  dissatisfaction,  so 
that  it  may  probably  be  more  practicable  to  adopt  the  plan  of  dividing 
the  teachers  into  classes  determined  by  the  number  of  years  they  have 
taught  in  these  schools  and  schools  of  similar  grade.  An  arrange- 
ment of  salaries  based  upon  present  expenditures  that  would  encour- 
age the  older  teachers  in  the  system,  and  should  not  discourage  the 
younger  ones  desiring  positions  might  be  fixed  as  follows : 

First  year  for  those  without  experience  in  graded  school  teaching^ 
$40.00  per  month. 

Second  year  for  those  with  one  year's  experience  in  graded  school 
work,  $45.00  per  month. 

Third  year  for  those  with  three  years'  experience  in  graded  school 
work,  $50.00  per  month. 

Fourth  year  for  those  with  four  years'  experience  in  graded  school 
work,  $55.00  per  month. 

Fifty-five  dollars  per  month  would  be  the  maximum  for  teachers 
from  the  second  to  the  seventh  grade  inclusive.  Teachers  of  the  first 
and  eighth  grades  in  these  schools  should  be  put  in  a  special  class  with 
a  maximum  salary  of  $60  per  month  provided  they  have  had  the  re- 
quired training,  and  at  least  five  years'  successful  experience  in  teach- 
ing. We  make  this  suggestion  because  we  believe  that  in  a  school  sys- 
tem such  as  this  the  best  teachers  should  be  assigned  to  the  first  and 
the  eighth  grades.  The  amount  of  money  saved  in  employing  younger 
teachers  at  the  minimum  salary  will  provide  for  the  increased  expendi- 
tures required  for  the  first  and  eighth  grades. 

A  salary  schedule  for  principals  based  upon  the  present  maximum 
amount  paid  would  be  about  as  follows: 

For  schools  having  over  250  children  enrolled,  $90  per  month. 
For  schools  having  from  200  to  250  enrolled,  $80  per  month. 
For  schools  having  fewer  than  200  enrolled,  $70  per  month. 

22 


It  must  be  understood  that  the  welfare  of  the  schools,  and  fairness 
and  justice  to  the  principals  and  teachers  now  employed  would  require 
that  the  salary  adjustment  here  suggested  be  made  gradually,  and  that 
no  principal  or  teacher  now  employed  in  the  schools  should  suffer  a  re- 
duction in  salary.  No  Board  of  Education  can  hope  for  success  in  its 
administration  of  a  school  system,  if  it  does  not  treat  its  teachers  with 
absolute  fairness  and  justice. 

If  found  practicable  the  classification  based  upon  years  of  service 
may  be  modified  by  taking  into  consideration  professional  merit  and 
preparation,  and  success  and  efficiency  in  teaching.  The  estimates  of 
professional  preparation  should  be  based  upon  the  records  of  scholar- 
ship in  the  high  school  courses  of  study,  and  in  advanced  courses  of 
study  in  the  normal  school  or  the  University  or  college  together  with 
specific  reports  of  practice  teaching  done  in  the  training  school  under 
expert  supervision.  Estimates  of  efficiency  in  teaching  should  be  based 
upon  the  observations  and  reports  of  the  superintendent  made  at 
many  different  times  and  directed  to  the  fair  and  impartial  consid- 
eration of  such  qualities  as  power  of  discipline,  mastery  of  the  method 
of  teaching,  organization  and  presentation  of  subject  matter,  capacity 
for  improvement  and  growth,  and  personality  as  it  manifests  its  in- 
fluence in  the  lives  of  the  children. 

Those  teachers  lacking  many  years  of  experience  who  show  marked 
ability  and  efficiency  in  their  teaching  could  on  recommendation  of 
the  superintendent  be  placed  on  a  higher  salary  by  action  of  the 
Board  of  Education.  Those  teachers  failing  to  show  increased  effi- 
ciency with  their  years  of  experience  could  on  such  report  being  made 
by  the  superintendent  be  placed  on  a  lower  salary  or  dismissed  from 
service.  Such  readjustments  as  are  here  suggested  would  be  made  only 
after  every  means  had  been  exhausted  for  the  improvement  of  the 
teacher  by  the  superintendent  through  suggestion,  instruction,  direc- 
tion and  supervision,  so  that  no  teacher  could  have  any  grounds  for 
justly  charging  unfairness  or  injustice. 

The  salaries  of  instructors  in  a  High  School  the  size  of  the  Grafton 
High  School  should  be  such  as  will  secure  and  hold  well  prepared  teach- 
ers of  successful  experience  in  competition  with  cities  of  similar  size. 
With  a  range  of  salaries  under  those  prevailing  in  other  high  schools, 
your  high  school  will  constantly  suffer  from  the  loss  of  teachers  who 
will  go  out  to  those  schools  paying  larger  salaries.  As  a  basis  of  com- 
parison we  note  the  following  brief  table  of  principals'  and  high  school 
teachers'  salaries  in  a  number  of  representative  cities : 

23 


Average  High  School 
City  Principal's  Salary.        Teacher's  Salary. 

Clarksburg $1,500  $90  and  $96 

Elkins  1,350  90 

Fairmont   1,650  90 

Morgantown   1,500  90 

Moundsville  1,100  75 

Wellsburg    1,400  85 

With  the  consolidations  suggested  in  another  part  of  this  report, 
and  with  the  abolition  or  modification  of  the  commercial  department 
of  the  High  School,  it  would  be  possible  to  make  such  adjustments 
with  the  funds  now  applied  to  the  High  School  as  to  provide  a  salary 
scale  that  would  compare  favorably  with  cities  of  similar  size. 

Sanitary  Conditions 

The  sanitary  condition  of  your  school  buildings  is  probably  not 
worse  than  that  of  many  other  buildings  in  the  towns  and  cities  of  the 
State,  but  new  demands  are  arising  in  this  respect,  and  judged  by  mod- 
ern standards,  the  sanitary  conditions  of  the  basements  and  toilets  in 
the  different  buildings  are  bad. 

The  sanitary  fixtures  in  the  new  South  Side  building  are  modern, 
and  in  good  condition,  but  they  must  be  cleaned  occasionally  if  they 
are  to  be  kept  in  proper  condition.  The  basement  of  the  West  Side  is 
in  very  good  condition,  but  the  toilet  bowls  ought  to  be  thoroughly 
scrubbed,  and  the  stools  painted. 

The  basement  of  the  Central  Building  is  in  a  very  unsanitary  con- 
dition. The  trash  and  rubbish  of  years'  accumulation  ought  to  be  re- 
moved and  burned,  the  walls  cleaned  and  painted  or  white-washed. 
It  has  been  years  since  the  closet  stools  in  this  building  have  been  clean- 
ed. They  should  be  gone  over  thoroughly,  cleaned  and  disinfected  and 
the  surrounding  parts  of  the  fixtures  painted. 

The  toilets  in  the  First  Ward  building  are  in  a  very  unsanitary  con- 
dition, and  need  the  same  process  of  cleaning  and  disinfection.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  toilets  in  the  East  End  building,  which  have 
probably  not  been  scrubbed  and  cleansed  since  they  were  put  in.  This 
is  a  sort  of  work  that  janitors  have  not  been  in  the  habit  of  doing,  and 
some  may  object  to  doing  it,  but  the  fact  remains  that  modern  school 
sanitation  demands  that  this  soft  of  cleaning  must  be  done  regularly 
and  systematically,  either  by  the  regular  janitor  or  by  some  special 
person  employed  for  the  purpose. 

24 


If  there  be  anything  in  the  germ  theory  of  disease,  and  the  highest 
scientific  authorities  are  agreed  that  there  is,  then  closets  and  urinals 
in  school  buildings  should  have  the  most  thorough  care  in  order  that 
there  may  be  no  accumulation  of  germs  about  them.  This  care  must 
include  frequent  scrubbing,  cleansing  and  disinfecting  of  closet  bowls, 
troughs  and  urinals,  and  the  use  of  a  good  quality  of  disinfectant. 

The  floors  of  school  buildings  should  be  thoroughly  scrubbed  twice 
a  year  with  hot  water  and  strong  soap,  and  a  light  application  of  germi- 
cide floor  dressing  or  oil  applied  with  a  mop.  If  there  is  contagious 
disease  prevalent  in  the  community,  the  desks  and  furniture  in  the 
school  rooms  should  be  washed  with  an  antiseptic  solution,  and  the 
rooms  sealed  and  fumigated  with  an  adequate  quantity  of  formalde- 
hyde gas.  Formaldehyde  candles  are  now  on  the  market  of  sufficient 
power  to  fumigate  the  average  size  school  room. 

The  walls  and  ceilings  in  all  of  your  school  buildings  excepting  the 
South  Side  are  in  an  unsanitary  condition.  They  should  be  gone  over 
with  one  or  two  coats  of  some  brand  of  dull  coat  paint.  This  is  im- 
portant not  only  to  the  appearance  of  the  rooms  but  to  their  health- 
fulness.  From  every  standpoint  it  pays  to  keep  school  rooms  in  a 
clean  and  attractive  condition.  It  may  not  be  possible  to  make  all  of 
these  improvements  at  once,  but  we  would  suggest  that  plans  be  made 
to  carry  out  this  suggestion  in  a  period  of  years.  In  fact  the  painting 
and  renovating  of  school  rooms  ought  to  be  a  continuous  process. 

Improvements   in   Buildings  and  Grounds 

The  grounds  of  the  South  Side,  and  the  First  Ward  buildings  are  in 
need  of  improvement  by  grading,  sodding  and  the  building  of  walks. 
There  should  be  either  cement  or  gravel  walks  in  the  approaches  to 
«ach  of  these  buildings.  In  case  it  should  be  decided  to  install  domes- 
tic science  in  the  schools  your  committee  is  of  the  opinion  that  the 
dwelling  house  located  on  the  grounds  of  the  Central  Building  now  oc- 
cupied by  the  family  of  the  janitor,  could  without  much  expense  be 
fitted  up  for  the  use  of  classes  in  cooking  and  sewing.  A  room  could 
.also  be  arranged  in  the  basement  of  the  Central  Building  with  some 
excavation  that  would  make  fair  provision  for  a  class  in  woodworking. 
There  are  also  rooms  in  the  basement  of  the  West  Side  Building  that 
•can  be  equipped  for  manual  training  work.  The  committee  also  notes 
the  fact  that  the  building  now  being  rented  near  the  Central  Building 
for  school  purposes  is  in  an  unsanitary  condition,  and  undesirable  for 
school  use.  There  is  vacant  ground  on  the  rear  of  the  lot  at  this  build- 

25 


ing  on  which  a  temporary  building  of  one  or  two  rooms  could  be  built 
that  would  be  far  more  satisfactory,  and  in  the  long  run  would  effect  a 
financial  saving  to  the  Board.  There  are  a  number  of  firms  in  the 
country  now  manufacturing  portable  school  houses  of  one  and  two 
rooms  all  ready  to  set  up  on  the  ground  that  can  be  purchased  at  a  rea- 
sonable price. 

Current  Expenditures 

We  have  carefully  studied  the  list  of  annual  expenditures  as  fur- 
nished by  your  Secretary  and  we  make  the  following  comment  based 
upon  the  list  and  our  observations  in  the  schools : 

The  amount  paid  for  janitor  service  is  not  sufficient  to  secure  or  to 
require  such  service  as  modern  sanitation  of  school  buildings  demands. 

The  schools  are  inadequately  supplied  with  materials  for  the  teach- 
ers to  carry  011  their  work.  The  annual  estimate  should  carry  a  lib- 
eral amount  for  the  providing  of  the  lower  grade  teachers  with  ma- 
terials for  the  various  forms  of  seat  work,  and  for  many  sets  of  sup- 
plementary readers,  and  for  maps  and  books  of  reference  in  the  differ- 
ent grades.  It  is  false  economy  to  employ  expensive  teachers  and  neg- 
lect to  furnish  them  tools  to  work  with. 

The  expenditure  for  medical  inspection  is  not  large,  but  we  did  not 
find  the  specific  results  for  this  expenditure  that  ought  to  be  in  evi- 
dence. If  medical  inspection  stops  with  the  hurried  filling  out  of  the 
inspection  cards,  the  money  spent  for  it  is  wasted.  Cases  needing  at- 
tention ought  to  be  followed  up  and  correction  secured.  The  medical 
inspector  with  the  principals  and  the  Superintendent  should  make 
an  annual  report  showing  the  specific  number  of  pupils  whose  physical, 
ailments  and  defects  have  been  treated  or  corrected  as  a  result  of  the 
examination  by  the  medical  inspector. 

We  believe  that  the  expenditures  in  general  are  too  low  to  insure  ef- 
ficiency in  the  operation  of  your  plant.  This  is  noticeably  true  in 
the  item  of  repairs,  janitor  service,  apparatus,  and  general  supplies. 

The  Purchase  of  Supplies 

In  a  small  school  system  such  as  this  the  best  plan  for  the  purchase 
of  supplies  is  probably  to  put  such  buying  in  the  hands  of  the  Super- 
intendent. He  is  the  official  who  ought  to  be  most  interested  in  the 
matter,  and  who  will  be  best  informed  as  to  what  ought  to  be  pur- 
chased. He  should  be  notified  of  the  amount  appropriated  for  supplies 

26 


and  held  responsible  for  doing  the  best  possible  with  the  funds  put 
at  his  command.  Itemized  bills  for  all  supplies  purchased  should  be 
submitted  to  the  Board  of  Education  after  they  have  been  checked  up 
and  approved  by  the  Superintendent. 

Janitor  supplies  should  be  ordered  by  the  head  janitor  in  consulta- 
tion with  the  Superintendent,  and  bills  for  such  purposes  should  be 
approved  by  one  or  both  officials. 

Apparatus  and  supplies  for  the  laboratories  in  the  High  School 
should  be  ordered  by  the  Superintendent  after  consultation  with  the 
teachers  of  the  subjects  requiring  laboratory  supplies.  The  Board  of 
Education  should  of  course  be  specific  as  to  the  amount  of  funds  it 
has  available  for  these  various  purposes,  and  the  purchasing  agents 
suggested  should  be  held  to  strict  account  for  keeping  within  the 
amount  of  the  appropriation. 

The  supplies  of  all  kinds  should  be  kept  in  one  central  storeroom, 
and  distributed  by  requisition  of  janitors  and  principals  on  approval 
of  the  Superintendent. 

Money  will  be  saved  by  submitting  lists  of  supplies  to  two  or  three 
dealers  for  estimates  and  bids,  although  it  is  not  always  wise  to  buy 
the  cheapest  material. 

New   High  School  Equipment 

The  crown  of  the  city  school  system  is  the  high  school.  It  provides 
the  higher  training  for  the  boys  and  girls  who  are  capable  and  ambi- 
tious, gives  culture  and  higher  ideals  of  life  and  training  and  skill  for 
vocational  usefulness,  and  grace  and  force  in  social  leadership.  It 
also  provides  the  inspiration  to  the  boys  and  girls  below  the  high  school 
grades,  leading  them  on  to  greater  accomplishments.  We  find  in  this 
community  the  nucleus  for  a  good  high  school,  but  there  is  an  urgent 
need  for  a  more  adequate  building,  and  better  equipment.  We  find 
that  the  enrollment  in  the  High  School  for  a  period  of  nine  years  end- 
ing with  the  present  year  has  been  as  follows : 

Year.  Boys.          Girls.  Total. 

1904-1905    15  45  60 

1905-1906    28  56  84 

1906-1907    34  64  98 

1907-1908    35  69  104 

1908-1909    43  84  127 

1909-1910  .  65  102  167 


1910-1911    78  109  187 

1911-1912    87  128  216 

1912-1913    92  129  221 

Judging  by  the  number  of  pupils  enrolled  in  the  upper  grades  this 
enrollment  in  the  High  School  will  continue  to  increase  from  year  to 
year.  With  the  proper  building  and  equipment  it  may  be  expected  to 
increase  still  more  rapidly.  The  community  which  has  a  regard  for 
its  future  welfare  can  not  neglect  to  provide  the  higher  training  for  its 
young  people  offered  in  the  modern  well-equipped  high  school.  This 
High  School  is  in  immediate  need  of  a  new  modern  building  which 
'shall  contain  at  least  ten  class  rooms,  physical  and  chemical  laborato- 
ries and  lecture  rooms,  rooms  for  manual  training  and  domestic  science, 
a  gymnasium,  and  an  auditorium.  Such  a  building  as  is  needed  can 
be  erected  at  a  cost  ranging  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  The  funds  would  have  to  be  provided  by  a  bond  issue.  We 
have  gone  into  this  matter  with  much  care  with  a  view  of  showing  the 
basis  and  the  means  of  making  this  improvement. 

We  find  that  your  district  has  a  total  property  valuation  of  $7,792,- 
000,  and  a  net  bonded  indebtedness  of  $69,000,  and  that  the  tax  levies 
are  as  follows:  Teachers'  Fund  25  cents,  High  School  Fund,  10 
cents,  Building  Fund,  9  cents,  and  interest  and  sinking  fund,  10  cents, 
making  a  total  tax  rate  of  6-t  cents  on  the  hundred  dollars.  The  state 
law  provides  that  a  school  district  may  issue  bonds  to  the  amount  of 
two  and  one  half  percent  of  its  valuation  so  that  your  district  can 
under  the  law  bond  itself  to  the  amount  of  $194,000  approximately. 
As  compared  with  many  other  cities  and  towns  of  the  state,  your  dis- 
trict is  not  carrying  a  heavy  bonded  debt  as  may  be  seen  from  the  fol- 
lowing table  of  comparison : 

Valuation.  Bonded  Debt.     Total  Tax  Rate. 

Wheeling $63,592,586  $1,040,000  30^4 

Huntington   $30,543,400  124,000  40 

Elkins    5,702,000  90,000  60 V2 

Martinsburg 6,720,094  50,000  56 

Wellsburg   4,764,556  97,000  741/4 

Buckhannon   3,313,468  50,000  57% 

Clarksburg 19,058,000  335,000  54y2 

Morgantown   14,105,410  135,000  48 

Weston   4,780,738  75,000  56 

Charleston    28,245,285  376,200  53 

Fairmont   14,784,022  280,000  49 

28 


Your  district  can  issue  bonds  for  a  new  High  School  building,  lay- 
ing the  necessary  levy  for  interest  and  sinking  fund  and  still  not  be 
much  in  excess  of  a  number  of  districts  that  have  made  such  improve- 
ments in  the  last  few  years.  We  believe  that  the  proper  equipment 
of  your  High  School  is  the  most  important  need  of  your  school  sys- 
tem at  the  present  time.  Even  though  the  making  of  this  improve- 
ment should  involve  an  increase  of  taxation,  we  are  confident  that  the 
community  will  realize  large  dividends  from  such  investment  in  the 
better  educational  advantages  afforded  its  young  people,  and  the  in- 
creased community  intelligence  that  will  come  from  having  a  thor- 
oughly modern  high  school  building. 

The  ideal  of  every  progressive  community  should  be  to  provide  such 
educational  opportunities  as  will  make  it  possible  for  every  capable 
boy  and  girl  to  receive  a  thorough  elementary  and  secondary  educa- 
tion. The  future  welfare  and  progress  of  your  community  will  de- 
pend upon  the  integrity  and  the  efficiency  of  your  citizenship.  A  fine 
high  school  will  develop  the  future  men  and  women  who  will  lead  in 
community  advancement  and  betterment.  The  best  investment  you 
as  a  city  and  community  can  make  at  this  time,  would  be  the  expendi- 
ture suggested  here  for  a  new  high  school. 

Conclusion 

It  should  be  understood  that  the  survey  here  given  by  your  commit- 
tee is  suggestive,  and  that  any  recommendations  as  to  modifications 
of  the  school  system  or  comments  on  prevailing  conditions  should  not 
be  regarded  as  final.  In  many  instances  the  plans  here  outlined  may 
require  years  for  successful  completion,  and  in  the  course  of  the  yeajs 
the  plans  themselves  may  undergo  many  modifications.  The  work- 
ing out  of  the  many  ideas  set  forth  in  this  report  should  be  placed  by 
the  Board  of  Education  in  the  hands  of  its  school  superintendent  who 
should  be  an  expert  in  matters  of  education,  and  school  management 
and  organization.  The  superintendent,  after  consultation  with  the 
Board  of  Education,  and  when  he  has  secured  a  clear  understanding 
of  the  general  policies  and  desires  of  the  Board,  should  be  given  full 
authority  and  support  in  carrying  out  his  plans  for  the  solution  of  the 
problems  herein  outlined. 

Eespectfully  submitted, 

J.  N.  DEAHL, 
JOSEPH  ROSIER, 
OTIS  G.  WILSON. 


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